National Guard from Republican states heading to DC: What you need to know

National Guard from Republican states heading to DC: What you need to know

Hundreds of National Guard members from Republican-led states will join federal troops on the ground in Washington, D.C., as part of PresidentDonald Trump's crackdown on crime in the nation's capital. Trumpseized control of the District's police force and mobilized800 soldiersfrom the Washington, D.C. National Guard on Aug. 11, declaring crime was "out of control." Advocates, lawmakers and many residents have pushed back on that characterization,which defies crime data. Republican governors have opted to bolster Trump's forces by sending their own guardsmen to Washington beginning withOhio, South Carolina and West Virginia. "South Carolina is proud to stand with President Trump as he works to restore law and order to our nation's capital and ensure safety for all who live, work, and visit there," said South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Aug. 16 in astatementabout sending 200 guardsmen to D.C. The mobilization of troops from Republican-led states will bring the total number of guardsmen in the capital to over 1,000. Here's what else to know about the growing force on the ground in Washington. The three Republican states sending members of the National Guard to Washington, D.C. have mobilized around 750 troops: 150 fromOhio, 200 fromSouth Carolinaand between 300 and 400 fromWest Virginia. Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio called sending troops from the Buckeye State the "right thing to do." He said the deployment comes in response to an Aug. 15 request from Secretary of the Army Daniel P. Driscoll. "The initial decision to deploy D.C. National Guard was not my decision. That was the president of the United States' decision," DeWine told the statehouse bureau. "But when the secretary of the Army asks for backup support to our troops that are already deployed, yes, we will back up our troops." West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrissey said on Aug. 16 the state's deployment of troops also came at Trump's request. Morrissey said their deployment reflects our "commitment to a strong and secure America." Troops are expected to arrive on 30-day deployments that the secretary of the Army could ask to extend. South Carolina Gov. McMaster said he would recall guardsmen in the event of ahurricaneor other natural disaster. The troops from Republican-led states deploying to the District will nearly double the size of the force Trump has already deployed, from 800 to 1,550 in total. Federal troops will work alongside the city's already 3,100-officer-strong police force. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said last week that the city's police department was understaffed and was supposed to have 3,800 officers. But she says understaffing hasn't stopped the city from achieving its lowest levels of violent crime in 30 years. "Crime levels are not only down from 2023, but from before the pandemic," Bowser said at a televised community meeting on August 12. "Our tactics are working, and we aren't taking our foot off the gas." DeWine shot back at Bowser and others questioning Trump's deployment of the guardsmen. "The people who don't like it in D.C. don't have the authority. The president of the United States has that authority," DeWine said. "Anybody can argue whether or not he should or shouldn't have the authority, but it's very clear. There is no debate he has the authority to do what he did." Trump was able to deploy about a third of the2,400National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. because of the city'sunique statusas a federal district. In the rest of the country, the president cannot deploy troops in a policing capacity without the consent of the state's governor though he deployed thousands of troops to Los Angeles over objections from California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsomsued the Trump administrationover the White House's deployment of thousands of National Guard members to Los Angeles without the governor's approval. Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a Newsom office spokesperson, said a ruling in the case has not been issued yet. Not all who have heard the call have responded by sending in troops. Gov. Phil Scott, the Republican leader of Vermont, "politely declined" to send a request to send guardsmen to Washington, D.C., according to reporting byVermont Public, a National Public Radio affiliate. Jason Gibbs, the governor's chief of staff,told Vermont Publicon Aug. 15 that sending Green Mountain State troops to Washington was too far outside the scope of what the soldiers typically do. "In the absence of an immediate emergency or disaster that local and regional first responders are unable to handle, the governor just does not support utilizing the guard for this purpose, and does not view the enforcement of domestic law as a proper use of the National Guard," Gibbs said, according to Vermont Public. Scott's office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY requests for comment. Contributing by Cybele Mayes-Osterman,a National Security & World Affairs Reporter with USA TODAY; and USA TODAY Network reporters Jessie Balmertof The Columbus Dispatch and Bella Carpentierof The Greenville News. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:National Guard from GOP states heading to DC: What you need to know

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August 19, 2025

National Guard from Republican states heading to DC: What you need to know

National Guard from Republican states heading to DC: What you need to know Hundreds of National Guard members from Republican-led states wil...

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Qatar urges a Gaza ceasefire after 'positive response' from Hamas

Qatar urges a Gaza ceasefire after 'positive response' from Hamas

JERUSALEM (AP) — A key mediator on Tuesday stressed the urgency of brokering a ceasefire inGazaafter Hamas showed a "positive response" toa proposal, but Israel has yet to weigh in as its military prepares an offensive on some of the territory's most populated areas. The prospect ofan expanded assaulton areas sheltering hundreds of thousands of civilians has sparked condemnation inside Israel and abroad. Most war-weary Palestinians see no place in Gaza as safe, not even declared humanitarian zones, after 22 months of war. Many Israelis, whorallied in the hundreds of thousandson Sunday, fear the offensive will further endanger the remaining hostages in Gaza. Just 20 of the 50 remaining are thought to be alive. "If this (ceasefire) proposal fails, the crisis will exacerbate," Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry, told journalists, adding they have yet to hear from Israel on it. Witkoff is invited to rejoin the talks Al-Ansari said Hamas had agreed to terms under discussion. He declined to provide details but said the proposal was "almost identical" to one previously advanced by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. That U.S. proposal was for a 60-day ceasefire, during which some of the remaining hostages would be released and the sides would negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the rest. "If we get to a deal, it shouldn't be expected that it would be instantaneously implemented," al-Ansari said. "We're not there yet." That cautious assessment came a day after the foreign minister of Egypt, the other Arab country mediating the talks, said they were were pushing for a phased deal and noted that Qatar's prime minister had joined negotiations between Hamas leaders and Arab mediators. Witkoff has been invited to rejoin the talks, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told The Associated Press. Witkoff pulled out of negotiations less than a month ago, accusing Hamas of not acting in good faith. It was not clear how Witkoff has responded to the invitation. An Israeli official on Monday said the country's positions, including on the release of all hostages, had not changed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a final push is needed to "complete the defeat of Hamas." He has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas has been disarmed. 28 Palestinians killed in Gaza Hospitals in Gaza said they had received the bodies of 28 Palestinians killed Tuesday, including women and children, as Israeli strikes continued across the territory. Among them were nine people killed while seeking aid, officials at two hospitals told The Associated Press. The deaths were recorded across Gaza, including in central Deir al-Balah, southern Khan Younis and near aid distribution points, hospital officials said. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed private American contractor that has become the primary distributor of aid in Gaza since May, operates those sites. Nasser Hospital also said an airstrike killed a mother, father and three children in their tent overnight in Muwasi, a camp for hundreds of thousands of civilians. "An entire family was gone in an instant. What was their fault?" the children's grandfather, Majed al-Mashwakhi, said, sobbing. Neither the GHF nor Israel's military immediately responded to questions about the casualties reported by Nasser, Awda and al-Aqsa hospitals. The Palestinian death toll in the war surpassed 62,000 on Monday, according toGaza's Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The ministry does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants, but says women and children make up around half of them. In addition to that toll, other Palestinians have died frommalnutrition and starvation, including three reported in the past 24 hours, the ministry said Tuesday. It says 154 adults have died of malnutrition-related causes since late June, when it began counting such deaths, and 112 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Aid groups continue to struggle to deliver supplies to Gaza, where most of the population is displaced, large swaths are in ruins and experts say the"worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out." Israel imposed a full blockade in March, then allowed limited aid to resume two and a half months later. The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, said 370 trucks of aid entered Tuesday — still below the 600 per day that the United Nations and partners say is needed. A new attempt to deliver aid by sea Israel has controlled all Gaza border crossings since seizing the Palestinian side of Rafah in May 2024. With land routes restricted, some countries have attempted to deliver supplies by air and sea. Aid workers face mounting danger, the U.N.warned Tuesday. Its humanitarian office said a record 383 aid workers were killed worldwide in 2024, nearly half of them in Gaza. COGAT said Tuesday that 180 pallets of aid were airdropped into Gaza with help from countries including Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and France. The U.N. and partners have called airdrops expensive, inefficient and even dangerous for people on the ground. A ship carrying 1,200 tons of foodleft Cyprus on Tuesday for the Israeli port of Ashdod loaded with pasta, rice, baby food and canned goods that were pre-screened in Cyprus. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed. ___ Follow AP's war coverage athttps://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

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August 19, 2025

Qatar urges a Gaza ceasefire after 'positive response' from Hamas

Qatar urges a Gaza ceasefire after 'positive response' from Hamas JERUSALEM (AP) — A key mediator on Tuesday stressed the urgency of...

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Spain battles record fires even as end of heatwave brings lower temperatures

Spain battles record fires even as end of heatwave brings lower temperatures

MADRID (AP) — Spain tackled several major wildfires on Tuesday in one of the country's most destructivefire seasonsin recent decades, despite temperatures dropping across the Iberian Peninsula. Thousands of firefighters aided by soldiers and water-bombing aircraft continued to fight fires tearing through parched woodland that were especially severe in northwestern Spain, where the country's weather agency AEMET reported a still "very high or extreme" fire risk — particularly in the Galicia region. Thefiresin Galicia have ravaged small, sparsely populated towns, forcing locals in many cases to step in before firefighters arrive. Firefighting units from Germany arrived in northern Spain on Tuesday to help fight the blazes, Spain's Interior Ministry announced. More than 20 vehicles were deployed to help fight an ongoing blaze in Jarilla in the Extremadura region that borders Portugal, the ministry said. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was expected to visit Jarilla later on Tuesday. The fires in Spain, which have killed 4 people this year, have burned more than 382,000 hectares or about 1,475 square miles according to the European Union's European Forest Fire Information System. That surface area is more than twice the size of metropolitan London. Many fires have been triggered by human activity. Police have detained 23 people for suspected arson and are investigating 89 more, Spain's Civil Guard said Tuesday. In Portugal, more than 3,700 firefighters were tackling blazes, including 4 major ones in the north and center. Wildfires there have burned about 235,000 hectares or 907 square miles, according to EFFIS — nearly 5 times more than the 2006-2024 average for this period. Two people there have died. Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Scientists say that climate change isexacerbating the frequency and intensityof heat and dryness in parts of Europe, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires.

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August 19, 2025

Spain battles record fires even as end of heatwave brings lower temperatures

Spain battles record fires even as end of heatwave brings lower temperatures MADRID (AP) — Spain tackled several major wildfires on Tuesday ...

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Learn about the 5 people charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death

Learn about the 5 people charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death

LOS ANGELES (AP) — One year ago, federal authorities announced thatfive people had been chargedin connection with theketamine overdose deathofMatthew Perry. All fivehave now agreed to plead guilty, including the personal assistant of the "Friends" star, an old acquaintance and two doctors. On Monday,Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors say was a dealer known as the "Ketamine Queen," became the fifth and final defendant to reach a deal and avoid trial. Here is a look at each of the defendants. Jasveen Sangha Sangha admitted in her plea agreement that she sold Perry the lethal dose of ketamine in the days before his death on Oct. 23, 2023. A 42-year-old who was born in Britain, raised in the United States and has dual citizenship, Sangha's social media accounts before her indictment last year showed a jet-setting lifestyle, with photos of herself in posh spaces alongside rich-and-famous faces in Spain, Japan and Dubai along with her dual homes of London and Los Angeles. Prosecutors say that lifestyle was funded by a drug business she ran for at least five years from her apartment in LA's San Fernando Valley. They say she presented herself as "a celebrity drug dealer with high quality goods" and missed no opportunity to promote the idea that she was known to customers and others as the "Ketamine Queen." Her lawyers have derided the title as a "media-friendly" moniker. Sangha went to high school in Calabasas, California — perhaps best known as home to theKardashians— and went to college at the University of California, Irvine, graduating in 2005 and going on to work at Merrill Lynch. She later got an MBA from the Hult International Business School in London. She was connected to Perry through his acquaintance and her co-defendant, Erik Fleming. In a raid of her apartment in March 2024, authorities said they found large amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine and ketamine. She was arrested and released on bond. In August 2024, she was indicted again with charges that tied her to Perry's death, and has been held without bail ever since. CHARGES: Three counts of distribution of ketamine, one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury and one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises. SENTENCING: A judge will set her sentencing in the coming months after she appears in court to officially change her plea. She could get up to 45 years in prison. WHAT THEY SAID: Sangha's lawyer Mark Geragos says "She's taking responsibility for her actions." Kenneth Iwamasa Iwamasa, Perry's live-in personal assistant, was intimately involved in the actor's illegalketamine use,acting as his drug messenger and personally giving injections, according to his plea agreement. It was the 60-year-old Iwamasa whofound Perry deadin the hot tub of his Pacific Palisades home on a day when he'd given him several injections. He would become the first to reach a deal with prosecutors as they sought to use him as an essential witness against other defendants. Iwamasa said he worked with co-defendants to get ketamine on Perry's behalf, includingDr. Salvador Plasencia, who taught him how to give Perry the injections. "Found the sweet spot but trying different places led to running out," Iwamasa told Plasencia in one text message. Iwamasa said in his plea deal that he injected Perry six to eight times per day in the last few days of his life. CHARGE: One count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. SENTENCING: He's scheduled to be sentenced November 19 and could get up to 15 years in prison. WHAT THEY SAID: Iwamasa's attorneys have not responded to requests for comment. Dr. Salvador Plasencia "I wonder how much this moron will pay?" That was a text message Plasencia sent to a fellow doctor when he learned Perry wanted to be illegally provided with ketamine, according to a plea agreement where the doctor admitted to selling 20 vials of the drug to the actor in the weeks before his death. Plasencia, a 43-year-old Los Angeles-area doctorknown to patients as "Dr. P," was one of the two main targets of the prosecution and had been headed for a joint trial with Sangha when he reached the plea agreement in June. According to court records, Perry was connected to Plasencia through another patient. Perry had been getting ketamine legally from his regular doctor as treatment for depression, an off-label but increasingly common use of the surgical anesthetic. But the actor wanted more. Plasencia admitted to personally injecting Perry with some of the initial vials he provided, and left more for Iwamasa to inject, despite the fact that Perry froze up and his blood pressure spiked, after one dose. Plasencia graduated from UCLA's medical school in 2010 and had not been subject to any medical disciplinary actions before the Perry case. He has been free on bond since his indictment. His lawyers said he is caregiver for a toddler child. Plasencia even got to keep practicing medicine after his indictment, but had to inform patients of the charges against him and couldn't prescribe dangerous drugs. He now intends to voluntarily surrender his license to practice, according to his lawyers. CHARGES: Four counts of distribution of ketamine. SENTENCING: He's scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 3 and could get up to 40 years in prison. WHAT THEY SAID: His lawyers say he's "profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry." Erik Fleming Fleming, 55, was an acquaintance of Perry's who learned through a mutual friend that the actor was seeking ketamine, according to his plea agreement. He told Iwamasa in text messages that he had a source known as the "Ketamine Queen" whose product was "amazing," saying she only deals with "high end and celebs." In all, prosecutors say, Fleming delivered 50 vials of Sangha's ketamine for Perry's use, including 25 sold for a total of $6,000 to the actor four days before his death. CHARGE: One count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. SENTENCING: He is scheduled to be sentenced November 12 and could get up to 25 years in prison. WHAT THEY SAID: Fleming's lawyers have declined comment. Dr. Mark Chavez Chavez, a San Diego doctorwho ran a ketamine clinic, was the source of the doses that Plasencia sold to Perry, according to their plea agreements. Chavez admitted to obtaining the ketamine from a wholesale distributor on false pretenses. Chavez, 55, graduated from UCLA's medical school in 2004. He has surrendered his medical license. CHARGE: One count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. SENTENCING: He is scheduled to become the first defendant sentenced, on Sept. 17. He could get 10 years in prison. WHAT THEY SAID: His lawyer says he's "incredibly remorseful," has accepted responsibility and has been "trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong." ___ Former Associated Press journalist Kaitlyn Huamani contributed reporting. ___ A version of this story first ran on Aug. 15, 2024.

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August 19, 2025

Learn about the 5 people charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death

Learn about the 5 people charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death LOS ANGELES (AP) — One year ago, federal authorities announced...

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Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader rematch: Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reunite for a lightsaber duel

Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader rematch: Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reunite for a lightsaber duel

Chris Cosgrove for EW You thought their epic story had finally reached its tragic conclusion, but Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader clearly still have some fight left in them. Prequel starsEwan McGregor(Obi-Wan) andHayden Christensen(Vader) appeared at the 2025 edition of Fan Expo Chicago on Sunday, where they participated in a panel reflecting on their legacies within theStar Warsuniverse. As the pair were on their way out,Entertainment Weeklycaptured the stars engaging in an impromptu lightsaber duel. Escorted in by a stern pair of stormtroopers and presided over by a menacing likeness of the Vader costume Christensen donned, McGregor and Christensen playfully reignited their characters' rivalry, which extends from the original film trilogy, to the prequel trilogy, into the 2022Obi-Wan Kenobiminiseries. Chris Cosgrove for EW Obi-Wan and Vader are among the most towering figures in the expansiveStar Warsmythos, yet after the powerful Sith lord is revealed as Obi-Wan's old friend and mentee Anakin, they only face off three times (twice if you're just counting the films). During the panel, Christensen looked back on the duo's most iconic face-off, the duel on Mustafar fromStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. "The one that Ewan and I did at the end, our battle on Mustafar, that was something that we were really looking forward to getting to do. From the get-go, we knew there was going to be this big battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan that was going to result in this epic lightsaber battle," Christensen shared. The 44-year-old actor recalled that he and McGregor "spent a lot of time, months training and practicing, trying to get the fight as good as it could be." He shouted out fight choreographer Nick Gillard, who "really told a story in that fight. I'm very proud of the work we got to do there." Chris Cosgrove for EW McGregor and Christensen have reunited several times over the years, not just fortheir rematch onObi-Wan Kenobi, which (spoiler alert) ended in a kind of stalemate. Want more movie news? Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free newsletterto get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Last year, McGregor celebrated Christensen atthe unveiling of his staron the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "He's just beyond kind to me, and it was immediately apparent to me that I was meeting someone truly special — not just as an actor, but as a person — and that I was meeting a friend," Christensen recalled of their initial meeting, before playfully joking, "A friend who would later go on to chop off both my legs and leave me for dead on the side of a volcano, but I guess I kind of had that coming." Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

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August 19, 2025

Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader rematch: Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reunite for a lightsaber duel

Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader rematch: Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reunite for a lightsaber duel Chris Cosgrove for EW You thought their ...

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Morgan Wallen and Thomas Rhett Join Forces for the Ultimate Country Music Moment

Morgan Wallen and Thomas Rhett Join Forces for the Ultimate Country Music Moment

Morgan Wallen and Thomas Rhett Join Forces for the Ultimate Country Music Momentoriginally appeared onParade. Morgan Wallenis making waves as we speak with his 20-stopI'm The Problemstadium tour, most recently hitting Cleveland, Ohio over the weekend for back-to-back sold out shows at Huntington Bank Field stadium. With a 26-song set that had the crowd on their feet from start to finish, Wallen did not do it alone, though… Miranda Lambert opened for the "TN" singer's first Cleveland show on August 15, while Thomas Rhett replaced her for the second Cleveland show on August 16. Aside from opening with a set of his own — after both Zach John King and Gavin Adcock — Rhett also took the stage later in the evening for a duet of "Cowgirls" with Wallen, covering Ernest's part of the beloved collaboration onstage. Days later, Rhett is now reflecting on the musical moment, taking to TikTok to share a snippet of the iconic performance. Keep scrolling to see for yourself. "Cowgirls in Cleveland@morganwallen," Rhett captioned his TikTok video, which was an up close and personal clip of the "Cowgirls" collaboration, shot from the end of the catwalk. In said video, both country superstars are seen smiling and seemingly having a great time, all while showing off their stellar singing skills to all attendees. Naturally, country music lovers praised the duet in the comment section of the post, with an emphasis on Rhett's performance. One fan wrote, "We need to make this man more famous than he already is!!! Thomas Rhett is so underrated!!!" while another added, "TR WAS MADE TO SING 'Cowgirls' 🔥🔥🔥" A third said, "He needs to re-record it with TR," and we could not agree more. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Thomas Rhett Akins (@thomasrhettakins) Rhett also shared some photos from the musical moment as well, with the first two images in his Instagram carousel — captioned "CLEVELAND" — being with Wallen. The first image is a black-and-white snapshot of the pair seemingly rehearsing for their iconic performance, and the second image is the pair onstage during the collaboration. Nevertheless, to keep up with Wallen and the rest of his antics (and special guests) on hisI'm The Problemstadium tour, you may connect with the "20 Cigarettes" singer on Instagram:@morganwallen. Morgan Wallen and Thomas Rhett Join Forces for the Ultimate Country Music Momentfirst appeared on Parade on Aug 19, 2025 This story was originally reported byParadeon Aug 19, 2025, where it first appeared.

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August 19, 2025

Morgan Wallen and Thomas Rhett Join Forces for the Ultimate Country Music Moment

Morgan Wallen and Thomas Rhett Join Forces for the Ultimate Country Music Moment Morgan Wallen and Thomas Rhett Join Forces for the Ultimate...

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